1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to drink cans and more particularly pertains to a new resealable drink can for allowing a drink can to be closed and sealed after it has been opened.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of drink cans is known in the prior art. More specifically, drink cans heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Beverages such as beer and carbonated soft drinks have been sold in tubular cans, made from aluminum or steel, for many years. Early tubular cans were mostly used for beers and lagers. In early can design, both ends of the can were planer, and to open the can, one or typically two, holes were pierced in one end of the can to allow beer to pour out from one hole, and to allow air to enter the other hole to equalize the pressure in the can. The major disadvantage with that design was that can openers were required to open the cans.
The next development was in the invention of the ring pull can end in which a tear drop shaped weakened portion was formed in one end of the can. The perimeter of the tear drop shaped portion had a substantially reduced thickness and a handle or pull was attached to the tear drop shaped potion which could be used to pull the tear drop shaped portion away from the can end to define a tear drop shaped opening for pouring beverage from the container.
The ring pull design was highly successful, however the design had one major drawback, in that when the can was opened the ring pull became separated from the can. This was considered to be a problem in terms of the litter it caused and the original ring pull design is considered to be environmentally unfriendly. The latest development of the ring pull is a can end in which the ring pull or handle pushes the weakened tear drop shaped portion in the can itself, rather than separating that portion from the can end, so that the tear drop shaped portion remains attached to the can.
However all the above mentioned drink can ends share one problem which so far no design has solved, in that whatever opening method is used, they cannot be resealed. This is a substantial disadvantage when compared with bottles with reclosable screw cap type closures, which bottles have traditionally been made of glass but are now often made of plastic.
Known prior art drink cans include U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,343; U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,099; U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,073; U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,665; U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,851; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,860,814.
In these respects, the resealable drink can end according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing a drink can to be closed and sealed after it has been opened.